


don't want a lot

by changgus



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Holidays, M/M, Mistletoe, background changgu/yanan, background hui/shinwon, background wooseok/yuto/kino
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22333192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changgus/pseuds/changgus
Summary: Hongseok hangs the mistletoe as a joke, or at least that’s what he says as he’s taping it into place in the doorway of the kitchen.
Relationships: Jo Jinho | Jino/Yang Hongseok
Comments: 14
Kudos: 97





	don't want a lot

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this is like a month late but time is a construct and i'm jewish so it's fine!!! i started writing this around christmas because i just wanted sweet holiday fic so i hope this fills that void a little bit also yanan is there bc i do what i want

Hongseok hangs the mistletoe as a joke, or at least that’s what he says as he’s taping it into place in the doorway of the kitchen. He also says something about bonding, which Jinho thinks is just ridiculous. The only way the members could get any closer at this point is by physically morphing together into some eighteen-legged monster, which no one needs and Jinho says as much aloud.

“Absolutely hate that visual, thank you, but I just think it’s important.” Hongseok replies, pouting slightly.

It’s just a little too early for Jinho to process the way Hongseok’s sweatshirt rises up when he reaches to make sure the tape is secure, to process the incredibly unfair bit of skin it exposes. Nothing he hasn’t seen before by any means, and yet his still half-asleep brain breaks a little bit anyway. Hongseok’s self-satisfied smirk doesn’t help at all.

“There.”

He dusts his hands off as he admires his work.

“Whatever, come eat.” Jinho gestures for Hongseok to join him and he does.

Their kitchen table is a little too small for the amount of chairs they’ve crammed around it and one of the legs creaks if anyone bothers to lean too hard on the surface, which Jinho has definitely been meaning to get fixed for months now. Hongseok settles into the chair next to him.

“Is it too much to want to bond with my precious hyung?” He pinches Jinho’s cheek and Jinho swats at his hand.

For the briefest moment Jinho considers saying any of the things he actually wants to say, things like _you could just kiss me then_ , but he does have some sense and the soft morning light haloing Hongseok’s profile only makes it a little difficult to remember that. So instead he shoves a bowl of miyeok guk in his direction and ignores the way their thighs press together, something he’s gotten very good at over the years.

The first victim is Wooseok, who blinks sleepily at the sprig of leaves that just smacked against his forehead, rudely interrupting his journey to breakfast. Yuto is right behind him and barely misses walking into his back.

“Oh.”

“Is that-?”

“Hongseok’s idea.” Jinho says from the kitchen table in between mouthfuls of soup. Hongseok beams at the two of them like this in and of itself is a gift to him. 

“Well, go ahead!”

There’s a moment where Wooseok furrows his brow like he has to think about what to do but then Yuto wraps his arms around Wooseok’s neck from behind and presses a firm kiss to his cheek before giggling high and clear. Wooseok, to his credit, only blushes a little bit.

Yuto pushes him gently the rest of the way into the kitchen to join the others at the table.

“Do cheek kisses count?” Hongseok ponders aloud. “Is that in line with the mistletoe rules?”

“Are there mistletoe rules?”

“Obviously, hyung.”

After a moment of thought, Hongseok puts his own spoon down very decisively, clanging against the ceramic bowl. The sound of it forces the other three to properly look at him. He looks very seriously at each of them in turn, folding his fingers together on the table.

“I’m saying it doesn’t count.”

“Why are you even here again?” Jinho asks, trying not to roll his eyes.

“Hyung, please, it’s Christmas.”

By the time Changgu stirs and joins them in the kitchen, Hongseok has developed a clear set of rules. Lips on lips only. No passes, no one is exempt. And absolutely no throwing out the mistletoe. That would absolutely not be in the holiday spirit.

Jinho isn’t sure exactly how kissing each other _is_ in the holiday spirit but it isn’t worth arguing. It’s barely different from the games they play all the time anyway, just simply more festive. It doesn’t have to mean anything.

What apparently also isn’t worth arguing, is whether or not Yuto and Wooseok need a do-over. They get up together, dump their bowls in the sink, and then pause in the doorway. Wooseok grabs Yuto by the shoulders and softly presses their lips together on their way out, tossing a wink back in Hongseok’s direction.

“See, look, bonding.” Hongseok says, nudging Jinho with his elbow and raising his eyebrows. 

“Definitely not their first time doing that.” Jinho snatches an extra piece of seaweed from Hongseok’s bowl and pops it directly into his mouth. “Don’t give yourself too much credit.”

“Wait, it’s not?” Changgu blinks, cheeks full of granola bar which he barely conceals with his hand.

Hongseok laughs.

There’s a chill in the dorm this time of year, seeping in from the patio no matter how high they crank the heat up. It’s the ondol heating that saves them and half the time spent at home now is spent sprawled on the living room floor soaking it in or curled together on the couch hoping body heat is enough. 

Jinho is settled on his stomach like he used to do when he was little, chin resting on the open book he’s been pretending to read. Hongseok is perched on the end of the couch, his feet on the backs of Jinho’s calves as he plows through another shittily dubbed episode of Yu-Gi-Oh.

“I don’t think footrest is part of my duties as the oldest.” Jinho grumbles as his eyes glaze over the same paragraph for the fourth time.

“Well, if you just came up here I wouldn’t have to sap your warmth this way.”

“Warmer down here.”

“Fine.”

Hongseok extracts his feet from Jinho’s legs but before Jinho can turn to say anything else, he’s hit with the weight of Hongseok laying down fully on top of him.

“Oh, you’re right. It is warmer.”

“Ya!” He tries to raise his fist as Hongseok laughs into his neck. His breath fans warm against the exposed skin for just a moment and then he rolls off. 

Jinho turns his attention back to his book, or well, tries to and Hongseok is back to quoting along with the TV in a stupid voice, pressed up close against Jinho’s side. He leans up on one elbow, using his free hand to absentmindedly trace patterns against Jinho’s lower back. It’s lazy and familiar. Each movement leaves a track of heat behind.

Something happens on the TV, one of the characters saying something in a nasal voice that has Hongseok cracking up again even though he’s seen this episode before at least three times. Somewhere in the laughter Hongseok’s hand moves under Jinho’s shirt, meets skin.

Jinho has sat through enough mandatory meetings, at enough companies, through every awkward powerpoint delivered by some underpaid staff who’d rather do literally anything else than outline to the gaggles of trainees exactly what they are and aren’t allowed to do, to have, to want. He knows the hand sliding under his shirt, the warm fingers pressed into his skin, all fall under the latter.

Being an idol means a lot of compartmentalizing. Everything has it’s own neat little box in Jinho’s brain, his public image, his relationships, everything has it’s place. His feelings for Hongseok have long been relegated to one that is tightly sealed in the very back of his mind, only occasionally popped open when it’s time to pick something particularly yearning to cover. It doesn’t matter that all the other members would be okay with it, are okay with their own things, because Jinho has more to lose and he won’t. But today he is tired, and Hongseok’s hands are calloused in all the right ways, so he indulges just a little.

Between touring, comeback preparations, and his musical he’s been running on absolute fumes, stockpiling a mental list of all the things he wanted to catch up on during this short break, namely sleep. He’s halfway there when he hears Changgu’s gentle gasp from the kitchen doorway. 

He cracks one eye open just in time to catch Yanan’s flustered reaction, hand pressed lightly over his mouth, as Changgu pulls away.

They’re both a little red in the face and breathless which makes Hongseok clap his hands together like a delighted child. For a moment Jinho feels something flare in his chest that he can’t quite place, thinks about grabbing his book and dragging himself down the hall to his room. But then Hongseok is laughing into his shoulder again and he can’t help but stay.

The next mistletoe victim comes with the arrival of the rest of Dorm A. Hwitaek’s hands are full between the boxes of chicken and cases of beer and he’s just barely keeping it all balanced as he toes off his shoes by the front door. 

Hyunggu spots the plant first and immediately his lips form a pout.

“Has that been here all day?”

“Has what been here all day?” Shinwon asks as he ushers Hwitaek into the kitchen, not actually helping him carry anything but hands hovering like he’ll catch it if it falls.

“ _That_.” Hyunggu points, just as Hwitaek makes it to the doorway, and his pout transforms into a smile immediately.

“Ya, what’s this?” Hwitaek whines, punctuated by the soft sort of laugh he does when he’s nervous, fingers shifting around the cardboard handle of one of the beer cases. His hair has been growing out over the break, softer around his face than the more curated mullet he’s had since June. 

Shinwon crowds him against the doorframe, arm out next to Hwitaek’s face like it’s a joke. Hwitaek whines again, shifting everything he’s holding. When Shinwon ducks down and kisses him, it doesn’t feel like a joke anymore. He uses his other hand to gently tilt Hwitaek’s chin up and kisses him slowly.

Hongseok actually whistles as he enters the living room, hair hanging damp in his face and cheeks tinged pink from his shower.

“Merry Christmas!” He yells, and Hwitaek laughs again but this time honking and loud.

As they push into the kitchen, Shinwon finally taking at least one convenience store plastic bag full of alcohol out of Hwitaek’s hands if only to avoid making eye contact with him, Hongseok sidles up to Jinho and wraps his arm around his shoulders. 

“See, this was a great idea.”

Jinho still isn’t quite sure that it is.

They all end up crowded on the floor around the coffee table in the living room, cardboard boxes of chicken and styrofoam containers full of steaming tteokbokki spread out between them. Shinwon and Hongseok are flicking the metal end of a soju bottle cap between them, laughing and adding another level of penalty everytime it doesn’t break. Hyunggu rants about the unfairness of everyone else knowing about the mistletoe all day, head in Wooseok’s lap and feet tucked into Yuto’s as he talks animatedly with his hands. Across the table Changgu plays DJ from his phone. Yanan keeps looking at him from above the lip of his beer can like he wants to say something but doesn’t.

“Have you heard from Hyojong today?” Jinho whispers into Hwitaek’s shoulder, or at least he feels like he’s whispering but he’s also just a little bit soju sleepy and things feel fuzzy, soft around the edges.

Hwitaek’s lips disappear into a thin line for just a moment. Blink and Jinho might’ve missed it, replaced quickly by something quiet and tender. “Yeah, he called this morning.”

“Good.”

“Hyung, you know this is all for you, right?”

“What?”

“The mistletoe, he put it up for you.”

And Hwitaek must think he’s whispering too because his mouth is so close to Jinho’s ear, but Jinho can feel Hongseok stiffen next to him on the other side, just slightly, just for a second. Then Shinwon’s yelling as the little metal bit snaps off the cap with the force of his fingers and Hongseok laughs a little too loud and Jinho feels like maybe he missed something, like it just slipped between his fingers.

The thing is Hwitaek is wrong, has to be, and for approximately a hundred different reasons. Hongseok does not want Jinho because if he does then Jinho can have him, and that is exactly the dangerous situation Jinho has been avoiding all this time. Boxes. Taped up tight so no light can get in. Absolutely no room for holiday foliage either.

Jinho calls for another round of shots and it’s maybe a mistake but everyone cheers like it’s not and the night goes on.

Slowly everyone drops off, Hwitaek calling a cab home for him and Shinwon while everyone else pads down to their respective rooms, or in Hyunggu’s case to Wooseok and Yuto’s.

“Coming or staying?” Hwitaek asks Hongseok without really looking up from his phone as he gets the notification that their cab is only two minutes away. He’s already putting his shoes on, using Shinwon’s arm for support as he tugs at the back of the heel.

Hongseok blinks, then looks at Jinho who is half asleep against his shoulder. “I think I’ll stay tonight.”

The lock plays it’s usual jingle as the door closes behind them and it’s just loud enough that it makes Jinho open his eyes. He registers that it’s only the two of them left, tucked in the space between the coffee table and the couch. 

“You’re not going?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Hui thinks you want to kiss me.” Jinho mumbles into the fabric of Hongseok’s sweater. His eyelids feel so heavy. No longer really drunk but just content and full and tired. Just tired enough to say the things he knows he shouldn’t.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm, that you put the mistletoe up to kiss me.”

“And what do you think?”

When Jinho looks up he’s not expecting Hongseok’s face to be as close as it is, his expression as dark. There’s a certain set to his lips whenever he’s being serious and just the slightest furrow of his brow which Jinho reaches to smooth without thinking.

It’s so quiet now that they’re alone, everyone else tucked away just down the hall. Jinho drags his hand down from Hongseok’s brow to cup his jaw instead. 

“I think you’re stupid.” He replies finally and he almost feels like laughing. Maybe Hwitaek was right. Maybe Hwitaek was right and maybe it didn’t matter all of the things he couldn’t have, because maybe he could have this after all. “I think we’re both stupid.”

The serious set of his mouth melts into a smile, warm, and Hongseok covers Jinho’s hand with his own. Maybe this was stupid, maybe after all these years letting it all go would be a huge mistake. For now, Jinho leans up to close the space between them.

“Wait!”

Jinho blinks slowly. He barely has time to formulate words, to do anything, before Hongseok is dragging him up by the hand and pulling him towards the kitchen.

“You can’t be serious.”

Hongseok stops them under the mistletoe. This stupid plant, this stupid joke.

“But I am.”

Jinho wants to laugh but before he can Hongseok leans down and kisses him long and slow like there’s a million things he wants to say that can be communicated through touch alone. For all the times he’s thought about this, let himself think about this, he never for a second fathomed how much better the real thing could be. He’s suddenly having a very hard time remembering why he’s been doing anything other than kissing Hongseok.

“Merry Christmas, hyung.” Hongseok whispers against his lips, around a smile.

Jinho kisses him again, taking his time.

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/gayjinho) // [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/gayjinho)


End file.
